The Great Archives: An Ekuzu's Journey
Prelude A man, who resembled a boy, wore a dark ominous cape which covered unique clothing made of expensive silk. On his clothes were intricate designs never before seen. Each resembling an element. His scars painted pictures of war across his body as a bang covered an empty socket, and his one usable eye sparked fire. He had a massive sewn scar which connected both parts of his smile to his ears. A monster... This beast stopped in front of Jikanogakure. A village known for many things. However, only a man who lived as long as he did understood Jikanogakure's true mysteries. Home to the famed Ekazu clan...The oldest family to date. And holders of the largest gathering of knowledge. All lost to mankind. Koshiro thought to himself. The thought of receiving just a little bit made him glee with happiness. Soon, It will be complete... Two anbu stopped Koshiro from entering. To which he gently waved. He's been all over, however this will mark his first day within Jikanogakure. "Halt." One ordered. "What is your business here!?" "I wish to speak to Lord Ekazu, It's urgent." "Tell us and we will relay a message." "I'm sorry, this is sensitive information only meant for the Lords ear." Koshiro pulled an ancient map from his sleeve. One marked with a forgotten Kanji. "I demand to see him at once, or this little map will ignite." That map is ancient, doesn't look like he's fooling around. One of the ANBU thought to himself. "Very well, proceed." The Anbu sighed, opening the gate to Jikanogakure. "You're just going to let him go in?!" The other ANBU yelled out. "We don't even know who he is!" "Lord Ekazu is always looking for information about his clan's history. If this man holds a map that ancient, he might be interested in what the man has to offer." The first ANBU replied. "Well, alright then. But you cause any trouble, and we won't hesitate to lock you up." The second ANBU spoke out, letting out a sigh as he returned to his guard post. "Ha!" Koshiro barked. "As if any human prison could hold me." Koshiro slid his map up his sleeve, once more concealing it from view. He slowly entered Jikangakure with caution. His sensory abilities kept track of each and every Anbu who followed him on earth. Although he was certain that no one would foolishly attack him within their own village. Every village had a similar design. Outermost consisted of poor while social class rose towards the Heart, where their Kage lived and work. He made his way towards his office slowly and carefully. Noting every little detail just in case... When he arrived safely, Koshiro entered the building and followed an Anbu up to the Kage's office, where he knocked politely. I'm sure they already sent word of my visit...Villages are so predictable. Opening the door was a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes with black circles surrounding them, wearing a jacket and thick, insulated pants as a sharp, chilly air escaped from the office. "Our visitor is here, lord Ekazu." "Ah, good." Dorutan Ekazu, the Jikanokage stood up from his meditation near the coldest center of the office, wearing a black sweatshirt and dark grey sweatpants. "So you had a proposition for me? I overheard that you had information for my ears only. Chieko, if you would please. "Of course." As she stepped out of the office, she shut the door behind them. "Now, what is your name and more importantly, what did you have in mind? Koshiro ignored his aid and entered Dorutan Ekazu's quarters, only speaking when his door closed fully. "Lord Ekazu, I've gone by many names...Too many to count. To say I remember the name my mother gave me would be lying, So just call me Koshiro." Koshiro bowed in his presence. A truly gracefully demonstration. His voice capable of swooning most women...And some men. "A lovely assistant you have if I do say so myself. But there are more important matters at hand." Koshiro tossed an ancient map towards Dorutan. Koshiro's map was covered in a cloud of dust. So old, one would think Sunlight could destroy it. But on it held durable information. Four lands, each with an X at it's heart. And, in the center rested a giant pyramid... "I found this during my many searches through forgotten catacombs. Previous generations," Koshiro's hands held together behind his back. "Often had their dead buried with valuable treasures...Including future knowledge. I know about your archives, as I've heard many tales from past Shinobi...And so, I have a proposition to help you increase it." Koshiro paced towards a window. Looking across his beautiful village. "Lord Jikankage, As a fellow man of knowledge, I would like to help you retrieve whatever is within that pyramid as I believe it holds a secret unlike no other. Secrets which could push Medical ninjutsu to never before seen levels. But I need your special eyes...As they are key." "My interest has been piqued." Knowing the map is old, he carefully spread it over a table. "This map is easily five hundred years old, but it is still largely intact other than some tears in the corners. The lands marked here, they were once villages until they were largely wiped out by war." He points to the pyramid at the center. "This pyramid, if my historical knowledge is correct, was the central nation to these villages. To require the Tetsuigan would mean that an Ekazu was once part of this nation and locked the secrets away using it." Carefully, he rolled the map up and handed it back to Koshiro. "So if I benefit from this knowledge via the expansion of the Ekazu archives, what is in it for you, Koshiro? Most propositions require the agreement of both parties to the terms." Koshiro smirked as Lord Ekazu worked. A perfect decision on his part to come here rather than retrieve the Scrolls by himself. The Doctor walked towards Lord Ekazu and looked over his map with him. "I see," Koshiro truly stood intrigued. He grabbed the map once more and hid it in a special holder on his hip. "Truly impressive. Some of those villages you pointed to rest under tons of ground and dirt. They've truly have gone forgotten by many...Except you." Koshiro smirked. "However, You are correct Lord Ekazu. But do not fret as my price remains simple. I wish access to your Medical sector for the completion of my own special technique.." Thinking it over for a minute, he came to a decision. "Very well, I accept the proposition. Come with me. "Heading to the back of the office, he led Koshiro to a set of stairs and began descending down them. In front of them was a massive stone door with multiple different Kanji formed in a circle. Closing his eyes, Dorutan began building up physical energy and opened his eyes, revealing the Tetsuigan. As if responding to his Kekkei Genkai, the Kanji began to glow, then dim out as the door began to open. In the room was rows upon rows of shelves containing texts on every bit of history on the Ekazu clan. As the two walked down the archives, Dorutan stopped to a shelf titled "Ninjutsu", opened a door and then grabbed five scrolls. "This is all that remains of my clan's medical Ninjutsu that I was able to restore. But the details on them are thorough and complete." Looking down at the scrolls, he closed the door back in on the rest of the scrolls. "The seal to these archives is of my doing. Many peddlers have tried to steal the information stored upon here, so I created a stone door that responds only to my Tetsuigan. The other benefit to the seal is it keeps moisture out of the room, preventing any decay on the scrolls." Taking Koshiro to a table, he placed each of the scrolls upon the large table, each of them revealing many lines of text. Koshiro examined each scroll...The secrets within...Within his grasp. A dog staring at a treat. But he must conduct himself properly. Show no threat to Jikangakure and it's Kage. "A wise move Lord Ekazu. As I am sure destruction by moisture would be a terrible lost and peddlers would use it for the wrong reasons," Koshiro's eye dimmed. "But I am no petty thief. I have nearly a century of knowledge and experience which transcends Life and Death. Entrust it to me and I can produce rewards far greater than ever." Koshiro took a step forward and gracefully touched his scrolls. He could feel their age...The power. Such an exhilarating sensation. Koshiro could feel his technique coming to completion with their acquisition. "So what is the plan, Lord Ekazu?" "We'll check the surrounding ruins first before we head to the pyramid. They have to be connected to the pyramid in some way. I'm thinking each of the villages has a seal that corresponds to each level of the pyramid." Picking up the scrolls, he placed them back into the Ninjutsu shelf. "We should also be on the lookout when we get there. Who knows what lies deep within those long forgotten ruins. Places like those are a smuggler's dream. And who knows if there's some dark secret behind the destruction to these villages." Leading Koshiro out of the archives, he performed many different hand seals and placed his hands on the ground, causing the stone door to reseal. After the door's seal was complete, he led him back to the office and out the door. "Chieko, as per usual, you're in charge while I'm gone." "Of course, Lord Ekazu." Bowing down, she went back into the Kage office. "Now, we've no time to lose. Let us embark towards the first location." Opening the map, he pointed to the southeastern most village. "Korigakure, the lost village hidden in ice. Nothing remains but a frozen tundra, but the seal there should still be intact." "Very true. In fact, I believe we should use this chance to gather some, test subjects, for future use." Koshiro's malicious voice hinted his devious ideals. He lacked any care for Humans as long as they served a worth. Koshiro noted Korigakure's location. Easier to travel by foot. "Korigakure...Hmm, I've heard of such a place. Great I finally get to see it. Let us begin." Chapter One: Korigakure, The Frozen Seal As the two exited the village, they began their trek due south as Dorutan examined the map. "Due to the map's age, there's a lot of landmarks missing that are here in the present era, but the trails connecting them are largely untouched. If we keep going south, we should make it to Kirigakure." As the two kept going south, the wind began to pick up immensely. Not wanting to lose the map, Dorutan rolled it up and placed it in a map case. Not a moment when he did, a massive gust pushed them backwards. "This wind isn't natural. It's got to be a wind release technique!" Regaining his footing, Dorutan kept trying to look around as to the source of the gust of wind, but the dirt being kicked up made it hard to find the source. Koshiro's foot hardened giving him ample footing. He looked towards the source as his hair raged. His empty black socket sewn tightly shut. Who would attack us at this time of day? Koshiro thought to himself. No one would assassinate a Kage in broad daylight. Especially if he is not alone. He weaved hand seals and palmed the earth. Although unable to see the source, The Doctor could surely stop it. "Doton: Doro Hōshi! Koshiro turned the earth around them into a river of mud in hopes of revealing their attacker or disrupting them by destroying their footing. The mud made it incredibly hard to stand on, especially with a wind release technique activated. Having activated his Tetsuigan, Dorutan began looking around for chakra signatures. While they were faint, he detected six of them. "They're good at hiding their chakra, but I sense six of them. Must have been an ambush." Closing his eyes, Dorutan began focusing a large amount of natural energy and began combining it with his physical energies. Feeling the power surge through him, the markings on his eyes turned into two arrows pointing downward and a triangle appeared on his forehead. His Sage mode was complete. Holding his hand in the air, he conjured a large ball made of fire and chakra. Using the Sage mode's natural energy, he began compressing it into a small sphere, shrinking it until it was down to the size of a pea and moves the sphere to the edge of his index and middle finger, pointing them like a gun. "Katon: Atomikkuburittsu!" Dropping his thumb, the energy sphere blasted towards the chakra signatures. While five of them managed to scramble out of the way, one of them was unfortunate enough to be caught in its path. The moment it made contact, the sphere disappeared, then expanded into a large, explosive sphere twenty feet in diameter. With luck, it was the wind user he hit and when the smoke and dust subsided, there was nothing left but a smooth crater where the jutsu made contact. Having been somewhat drained by the technique, he let out deep breaths, letting his chakra levels try and replenish. Koshiro watched as Jikangakure's Kage released a devastating fire release. He'd only seen such markings in scrolls describing Doruton's legendary eyes. Lord Ekazu's eyes are one in a million...Yet deadly. He thought. Koshiro noted how drained Dorutan appeared. Guess I'll be leading now He rose his hands and formed a single seal. Four Doton Clones surfed underground towards their attackers. His Dotons could use both his earth sensing technique and their earth release jutsu's natural ability to feel magnetic forces to find their targets. Before the other five could snap out of amazement as their sixth had been obliterated, Koshiro's Dotons suddenly emerged. Jumping out, they aimed to grab the attackers and bring each back. "Lord Ekazu, if I may suggest holding off on using such jutsu. Especially on those unworthy. We do need to extract information. Maybe they know something..And I'd like to keep their corpses for...Future uses." "Good point." Letting out one more breath he recomposed himself and had his Sage mode and Tetsuigan disengage. As the other five tried to run from the clones, they were clamped down tight by arms bursting out of the ground and brought back to Dorutan and Koshiro by the emerged earth clones. "So these are our attackers." Looking at their headbands, he noticed they were from separate villages, each with a single slash down the center. "Missing-nin. Defected from the village, no doubt due to it not being their line of work. You seem pretty well organized. Using the wind user to blind your targets while the rest of you go in for the kill." "It's not like that! Listen, we were hired by some guy to look for a particular set of targets. You two matched the description." A male shinobi, wearing an Iwagakure village headband spoke out. "Someone's looking for us?" "Looks like someone doesn't want us to continue on this journey. Whoever it is must have been spying on us." "What does this man look like?" "I don't know, his face was concealed, but he wore a black, hooded robe. All we could see was his eyes. The sclera were black with multiple lines surrounding where the pupil is supposed to be." "A Tetsuigan user? Hmm.... It looks like we've got even more trouble on our hands." He took careful notes of everything they said. Their clothes, their builds and especially speaking patterns. Koshiro's original guess proved true. Someone truly had overheard Koshiro's plan and had intentions of stopping them...But who? The Doctor walked towards the Iwagakure Shinobi and knelt before him. "I see. However, your assassination attempt has not been forgiven. Although I do thank you for such information, your bodies will serve me well in the next life." Koshiro grabbed The Iwagakure Nin's temple and squeezed hard until his eyes went back. Threads emerged from Koshiro's clone's and engulfed each Shinobi. Cutting and piercing skin until one could no longer see them behind his mass of darkness. Suddenly, each disappeared in a puff of smoke, as well as his Clones. "Lord Ekazu, forgive me. If it is a Tetsuigan user, we have nothing to worry about. As long as you're here, we hold a powerful advantage. But that depends on how much strength can you recover." Koshiro went to Doruton and smirked. His scars tightened against skin. He remained active just in case someone watched from shadowy areas. "Let's get going. This time, let me go first." He said as he started towards Korigakure. "Very well." Taking out the map from the case, he began looking down at it. "Provided we don't have any more unforseen chains of events, we should be within the ruins in a few hours. But that's provided everything goes smoothly." As they began walking further to their destination, the air began to grow colder. They weren't too far. Feeling an urge of caution, Dorutan stopped suddenly. "Something seems.... off. It feels like there's someone here, but I don't detect any chakra signatures. Might just be the cold air playing tricks, but let's stay cautious just to be safe." Catching up to Koshiro, he continued walking behind him. As they neared the ruins, various bodies began pulling themselves out of the dirt. They were undead. What wasn't frozen was rotting away, but their physical structure was largely intact because of the cold air. "I knew I felt something." Not wanting to overuse his chakra, he went into a Gentle Fist stance and waited to make his move. When one of the creatures ran up to him, he realized he's going to need to be more offensive. Performing a quick spin, he evaded the undead being who had it's back turned. Quickly he struck it in the back with an open palm, hitting it directly with a chakra strike, causing it to fall apart. "We might need to work together on this one. There's far too many to take down with our powers separate." Tectonic movements? The Doctor thought..Koshiro felt it too. Slight movements within the earth. Many times when unfocused he found himself feeling deeper movements. Especially near sacred areas as Korigakure. But this..No, this had to be different. "Lord Ekazu, stay close." He ordered. Koshiro needed to keep Doruton out of harms way until he could regain his strength. Ironic they send the undead against me... The Doctor snickered. "Do not worried. You can say I, major in this field. They cannot harm us to much. But stay alert, no one sends just one." A frozen undead ran towards Koshiro, who simply rose his left arm. From his scars hundreds if not thousands of threads emerged. They intricately twisted around each other, forming unique patterns. No two strands alike. Seconds later, Koshiro's elbow connected to a giant black mallet midway. He could utilize his threads in many ways. Thread Style Woven Constructs! As his first enemy closed their gap, he quickly swung his arm, sending the giant hammer crashing against the creature. The Doctor quickly turned around and swung at another, sending this one flying backwards. His attacks were heavy, requiring split second position changing. But each attack left an utterly destroyed monster in it's wake. "Doruton! Behind you." Koshiro's mallet extended over Lord Ekazu's head, firing towards a leaping creature. Hitting it just in time to protect him. His hammer slowly retracted. Koshiro had closed distance between himself and the Jikankage. His mallet came down and size until it completely dispersed, sending threads up his sleeve. "This reanimation jutsu! I've never seen anything like it! It uses Ice's natural temperature to halt decomposing, while in sunlight. I must revisit this temple when we are done!" Koshiro exclaimed, truly amazed...A madman. He watched his surroundings. "Can you make it?" Koshiro's arm hardened, prepared for more battle. His aggressors were closing in. "I think I've got my energy back up." Smirking, he closed his eyes, tapping into his body's physical energies until he gained enough to awaken his Tetsuigan. "Let's try something a little different." Closing his eyes, he began envisioning a ball of chakra splitting apart into thin, blades. Opening his eyes, he moved his right arm to the side, conjuring up bright blue blades as thin as fencing sword blades that cut apart one of the undead, then moved his arm right, forcing the blades to slice through another. These chakra blades.... they react to a slashing motion. This is something I might have to write down for future examination. Moving his arm like a sword, he sliced through the undead in his line of vision, using his Tetsuigan to predict their movements and reacting accordingly. "Such elegance," Koshiro teased. "Shall I take part in this dance, Lord Ekazu?" His hand lightened back to skin. His threads emerged in a wild motion but tightened, weaving themselves into a beautiful obsidian sword. He accepted Doruton's challenge and followed his every step and pivot. Slicing through zombies as if leaves from a tree. His threads dripped crimson liquid after decapitating an undead. The Doctor stood back to back with Doruton, hitting where he missed. Completing each other combinations as if sentences. Koshiro flipped and twisted and gave Doruton every kind of support needed. At one point Koshiro kicked away an undead, stabbed one behind him and returned to brutally mutilate his main target. "They're dwindling," Koshiro smirked. "If only I could find more..." "I recall reading through one of the ancient texts that five hundred years ago, a member of the Ekazu created a sort of reanimation jutsu that kept bodies in a dormant state, protected from the elements until revived with a surge of chakra. The creator was the second bearer of the Tetsuigan; Burakku Ekazu. From what the texts say, he was banished from the village for acts against mankind." Walking towards one of the undead, he tapped it on the shoulder before ducking from one of its attacks. "Chimei-tekina rezonansusutoraiku!" Wrapping his arm in chakra, he delivered an open palm strike that shattered its body to pieces. After the deed was done, he began following suit with the rest. "Good, they each have the same chakra resonance frequency." Jumping back to Koshiro, he began striking the ones that were out of Koshiro's line of vision while Koshiro struck the ones out of his, both of them performing a deadly dance of devastation until the last one was permanently put to rest. "That takes care of that." Taking a deep breath, Dorutan began to recompose himself, letting his chakra restore. "Every legend has a grain of truth within." Koshiro smirked as his partner finished off those who Koshiro missed. The Doctor and Doruan struck their final zombie simultaneously. His threads slowly retreated back into skin. Revealing scarred flesh. "I don't sense anything...Which means we are close. Come on, lets not keep our guest awaiting." Koshiro told Doruton as they approached a frozen village. Temperatures dropped to sub zero levels as snow covered earth. His sixth Sense slightly blurred in each step taken. However, his body had no reaction. He lacked a human antimony to care for cold. "The first inside Korigakure in a century...When I was younger," Koshiro thought back to his days as a Bandit during the Warring States Period "villages did not exist. However, a clan of humans managed to band together and master this frozen tundra. It was not until after it's destruction humans began calling it Korigakure." "Now, it's nothing but a frozen wasteland." As the two began walking through the ruins of Korigakure, a figure appeared before them. Bearing cracks on his skin which has been greyed down and sporting long, silver hair, the man was the subject of a reincarnation jutsu. "So you are the two I sensed entering the grounds. It looks like you got past Korigakure's undead guardians. Ahh, I see, you are an Ekazu. Guess I'm going to have to turn things up." Raising his hand in the air, the figure disappeared. All of a sudden various dead bodies began rising from the ground and forming together. Once the last one fit in, the bodies emanated a dark glow, forming a creature of a most foul structure. Its body was completely encased in ice and bore many horns on its head and shoulders. Letting out a deep roar, the beast began on the offensive. Charging towards Dorutan, Dorutan barely jumped out of the way. The area that the beast hit became encased in ice. If I get hit just once by that, I'll be an ice sculpture. Forming the hand seals, he performed a fireball jutsu. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" Releasing the fireball, it began surging toward the demon. But once it hit, it seemed to have no effect on the demon's frozen skin. Well, this isn't good. It seems resistant to the fireball jutsu. That demon's more frozen than I though. "Koshiro, you got any ideas?" "Indeed...No one knows what caused it's widespread destruction." Koshiro stared into crystal ice. Various reflections of sunlight bright enough to blind darkness. He took a mental note of Korigakure. "My grandparents used to tell us that Korigakure, then known simply as The Frozen Tundra, came into existence sometime before the likes of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki. But it was his gift that allowed humans to make hearth of such a place." His history lesson came short when an obvious reincarnation appeared. Koshiro went unimpressed, a face of empty emotions. Only when their new adversary came to life did Koshiro actually smile. Never before had he seen such a monster. Koshiro seemingly disappeared while evading a downwards smash. He made his presence next to Doruton. "I figured fire release would not work. If you are correct and it is the result of an Ekazu, I suspect his ice to have natural energy as a power source. Making it much stronger." Koshiro speculated. With a fist heading their way, He formed a single seal. Solid rock erupted towards their attacker in the shape of a pillar. The Ice Beast easily broke it; however, it granted Koshiro enough time to maneuver out of harms way, sliding on ice backwards. "Doton: Gōremu no Jutsu!" His hand palmed earth with enough force to send a vibration. Suddenly, a large, humanoid creature composed of rock climbed from under pounds of snow. It's size comparable to the Ice beast. With fury, it ran towards it and launched a deadly punch. "I can hold it off, you figure out how to destroy it!" Koshiro screamed. Meanwhile, he summoned a Doton clone behind him. Recoiling from the attack, the Ice Demon shook it's head, small cracks forming in the area that was hit. After recuperating, it locked fists with the golem. Observing the two colossi fighting, Dorutan noticed an opening. "There's small cracks in the demon's body where we can hit." Awakening his Tetsuigan, Dorutan rushed towards the Ice Demon, using the Body Flicker technique to keep himself moving around quickly enough to keep out of the demon's sight. Reaching the rear of the demon, he jumped up high and delivered a drop kick onto the demon's shoulder, causing a large amount of it to break off. Quickly getting out of the way, he let the golem hit it again while it was open, causing the arm where the shoulder was at to fall off. "Perfect, it worked just as I thought it would." "Fire attacks won't get the job done because it's body is too cold. But that icy cold body has its own weakness. Due to how quickly it froze, there's slight cracks where the water within the ice expanded too quickly. If we strike those spots, it'll weaken the beast's physical structure." "I see why you are the Kage, Doruton." Koshiro applauded. He blackened his arm arm prepared for his shot. His golem, meanwhile, punched Korigakure's guardian with enough strength to stumble it. "Lets see how good you are with a single leg!" Koshiro's arm fired with bullet speed. He aimed towards a crack at it's ankle, which shattered it's leg completely. Millions of shiny crystals falling onto snow. His Golem took advantage and tackled the beast. Now with only one leg and one arm, Koshiro knew they neared victory. Jumping high in the air, Dorutan began to go for a final strike. As he was nearing the beast, though, it fired off an ice spike that struck Dorutan's right arm. Gritting his teeth to ignore as much as the pain as he could, he performed a front flip, dropping his leg into a full blown drop kick, shattering the beast to pieces. Getting up, Dorutan pulled the spike out of his arm and placed his hand over it, setting fire over itvto cauterize the wound. "That was a risky move, but it paid off." Walking into a ruined building, he noticed a lever on the wall. Pulling it downward, he heard a loud "chunk" noise. Despite it not doing anything here, he knew that the lever opened the door to one of the levels of the pyramid. Walking out, he took out the map of the villages, pointing towards a village northeast of this one. "It doesn't have a name, but judging by its location, the unnamed village was burned down two hundrwd years ago. Legends say there is only one building left standing. The grand conference hall, a massive building made of a special type of stone infused with chakra to protect it from the elements. That will be our next location."